Since I haven't read the Shannara series I'm not familiar with this universe or what it's about exactly, but just judging from the trailers and description alone it is definitely a high fantasy series with plenty of rich world-building and characters. If this does well, I have a feeling it may be the answer to those looking for a Game of Thrones replacement. Despite it being on MTV, which understandably may repel some people, just seeing the trailers and behind the scenes stuff alone shows that they've given The Shannara Chronicles quite a large budget to produce. Granted a big budget doesn't always equal quality, but since it looks like a fantasy version of The 100 it may pleasantly surprise people. Plus it was filmed in New Zealand, which is considerably a good sign when you take into account the other epic fantasy films and series that have been filmed there (see: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Legend of the Seeker, Xena: Warrior Princess). If this gains popularity, hopefully there will be more fantasy series along this vein. I miss having some epic fantasy and even lighthearted fantasy shows on television. When you have a mixture of the two, or something that holds strong in its own storytelling, adapted or not, it can become something great. Not everything has to be "darker and edgier" in order to be taken seriously or be considered good storytelling.

I hadn't heard about it before until it was mentioned at SDCC, which got me curious, then the new preview was released so I needed to see more about it.

It does look very gorgeous, and not just from the benefits of filming in New Zealand. A lot of the shots are beautifully done to show this world, especially where they show the fallen down Space Needle and the ship wreckage with vegetation all around it. Just shots like that are incredibly gorgeous to me, tbh. It makes you feel familiar in this world, but at the same time it's not our world, as seen with the other locations.

And I agree, too many things want to be darker and grittier in order to be seen as adult or to be taken seriously, and that is not always the answer for good storytelling. I particularly have a dislike for things that desaturates color for that "darker" effect. No. Bring more color, more life into these worlds.